how to live
by silverslivers
Summary: Mallory McKinnon, troublemaker extraordinaire. It's fifth year, a raving lunatic is on the loose, those twin pranksters are twats and, did she mention? She might be falling a little bit in love too. Fred/OC


**author ;;**silverslivers  
**summary ;; **mallory mckinnon, troublemaker extraordinaire. it's fifth year, a raving lunatic is on the loose, those twin pranksters are twats and, did she mention? she might be falling a little bit in love too. Fred/OC  
**disclaimer ;;** i don't own harry potter. im really not jk rowling. i wish i was. the only thing belonging to me is mallory. promise.

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**Chapter One  
**_The Night that Changed It All_

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**15****th**** July, 1981**

The cold air of winter lingered in the still night air, freezing puddles and ponds and forming a terrible chill in the very bones of the Diggory home. The fields around the modest house had turned crisp with frost, and in their stalls, horses dozed restfully. The night was still, silent, as though the world was holding its breath to mourn.

For a moment, it's peaceful.

There was a sudden crack, similar to the sound of a bone snapping, before a particularly odd looking, grey-bearded man appeared on the doorstep. In his arms, he held a small bundle of blankets, from the top of which poked a chubby, childish face with long chocolate hair spouting from her head. The man appeared entirely unruffled by his mode of travel; indeed, he was now making towards the house as though it was an everyday occurrence to appear in mid air. He rapped on the door loudly, face troubled. From beyond the door, came a harsh sounding, world-weary voice. "State your name."

If the man found this rude, he didn't show it. Instead, he spoke in a very clear, if tired, tone, "Albus Dumbledore." There was a pregnant pause, before the voice replied,

"Prove it." The man smiled softly, as though amused, before he replied evenly,

"The last time I spoke with you, we discussed the pros and cons of chocolate frogs in-depth. That was two weeks ago." There was another pause, this one much shorter, before the sound of locks opening filled the air momentarily and the door opened. In the doorway stood a young man. He had dirty blonde hair, knotted awfully atop his head as though he had been repeatedly running his hands through it, and handsome features. His grey eyes blinked at the other man wearily, filled with something far older and far more painful than suited his youthful face.

"Professor." He intoned softly, studying the other's face before his eyes dropped to the child in Albus' arms and he frowned. While his eyes showed recognition, his face demonstrated confusion as he glanced back up at the professor. As though suddenly realising that they were, indeed, standing in the cold, he cleared his throat and moved aside to allow him in.

Walking through, the man sighed solemnly. The room was silent for a moment, before a pretty woman with copper hair and tired chocolate brown eyes came bustling in. She was yawning and rubbing at her eyes, though she froze upon seeing the man in their sitting room. The woman frowned sleepily at the professor, and said in a voice trembling with fear and anticipation, "Albus? Isn't it a little late for a social call?" The professor smiled in a sad sort of way.

"Ah yes, Marion. However I am afraid that this is most certainly not a social call." The woman frowned again, before spying the child in his arms. "Oh dear Merlin." She whispered, rushing forward to pull the child from his arms. Looking at her closely, now, he could see ash had settled in her hair and nightdress, coating her pretty face, and fear welled up in Marion's eyes.

"Professor?" Came the other man's voice, "I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but, why are you here? Why do you have Mallory?" The professor's gaze turned sad as realisation struck the other man's features, his eyes widening in horror, while the woman, now balancing the child on her lap, looked up with sorrow in her eyes.

"Surely not, Professor." Marion said, before turning to her husband. "Amos, you saw Marlene just hours ago. Surely not." She repeated, as though trying to convince herself. She sat heavily on the sofa, horror building in her features.

"I am afraid so, Marion. Marlene, and the rest of her family, were killed not hours ago. Death Eaters." He stated the last in the sort of tone that said it really didn't need saying, but the two reacted violently to her words. The woman, Marion, shook her head and let out a sob as Amos' face turned stormy. "As her last family, Marion, I am afraid that I must ask you to take Mallory in." His gaze drifted to the small child in his arms, and his eyes, if possible, grew steadily more somber. Marion, so overtaken by her grief, found herself unable to speak, but Amos nodded solemnly and took the small child from the woman's arms.

The child certainly looked as though she had been through a lot; covered as she was in soot, tear tracks made clear marks on her cheeks, washing the ash away in the process, and he sighed and sat beside his wife, balancing the child on his knee. She was momentarily startled by Marion's sobs, before Amos rubbed her back and shushed her quietly and she relaxed. He turned to his wife, taking her hand in his, before looking back at Albus. "Of course we'll take her in. We're not about to leave her out in the cold. She's our niece. She's family." Albus smiled softly at the other man's loyalty, nodding in a way that Amos understood to mean he knew they would agree, before he turned to leave.

"Professor?" The man turned back at the woman's thick voice. "Thank you, for bringing her to us." The man nodded with another sad smile and walked out the door, quickly followed by the loud crack of disapparation.

Back inside, the man dried his wife's tears in stony silence, only moving to place Mallory gently on the floor. The child looked up at her aunt and uncle with sad, tired eyes and said in a sad, confused voice, "Mummy?" Marion sniffled loudly, before replying to her little niece in a voice thick with tears,

"Mummy... Mummy's gone away, Mally." The child frowned.

"Where?" She questioned, unable to believe that her mummy would leave her behind, as innocence is.

This time, it was Amos who replied, "Far, far away, Mally-boo. C'mon sweetheart, we'll get you some of Ced's pyjamas, okay?" Mally nodded sleepily, and Amos hoisted her up to balance her on his waist, before leaving in search of some pyjamas that would fit the small girl.

That night, Mallory McKinnon was made an orphan. But it was also that night that Mallory McKinnon found a family.

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**{i felt like it went a little cheesy at the end. idk. and please don't hate me for not updating sftoiff, it's just i started the incredible harry potter challenge on polyvore and just... idk. i got like a shitton of inspiration for mally. so yeah. new fic. was it awful?}**


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